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Curology Month Four|Doxycycline for Acne

Photo Credit: Curology (I can’t think of any more ways to photograph the same bottle so I’m leaving it to the pros)

Originally, I wasn’t going to continue a month by month update of my adventures with Curology, but after the reformulation (and results) of my prescription, I feel it may be beneficial to those hesitant or just starting out with Curology (or prescription strength actives in general) to keep on with these monthly recaps.

For those of you who don’t know, my prescription swapped out azelaic acid for zinc pyrithione to help with the excruciating dryness as well as provide another form of anti-acne help. I also went under a 30 day regime of the antibiotic doxycycline which would help clear up acne from the inside plus help prevent another bout of purging. My prescription still has the same amount of niacinamide and clindamycin as before.

Frankly, given the results I’ve seen in just a month, I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking for me:

Probably the grossest collage I’ll ever make 😞 While the lighting is a bit different, I must say my brightening products are working hard!

I’ve had really (REALLY) stubborn acne that seriously won’t kick the bucket for almost a year now, but between nightly use of this new Curology prescription and twice daily doses of doxycycline, it’s as subdued as its ever been in too long a time.

Another equally as awesome thing from this new script is its sebum balancing properties. Three months of azelaic acid really took a toll on my already naturally dry skin, taking it from almost normalized to borderline dehydrated. After four weeks away from azelaic acid, and some moisturizer TLC, my skin is almost back to its pre-Curology state.

Perhaps I owe credit to the doxycycline, but I did not purge again despite the prescription reformulation.

My derm also suggested using a diluted water-vinegar mixture to help dry out those spots. I applied it morning and evening right after my toning step, and while it smelled less than pleasant, I’m pleased to say this homemade DIY really did the job. After about 2-3 days of doing this morning and night, spots would dry right up without much left over redness.

For those of you curious about going on antibiotics to help with acne, doxycycline is very commonly prescribed to work on this problem.

I am by no means a doctor or expert, but this was my personal experience with using doxycycline for acne.

Just like any antibiotic or drug in general, people complain about all sorts of side effects. I knew beforehand I can be a bit sensitive to the effects of antibiotics so I did a couple things to avoid a miserable month.

-I took it on a full stomach…as in after a real meal, not just a bite of an apple or something. This really helped in eliminating upset stomach problems which I am highly prone to on antibiotics.

-I also ate yogurt daily to keep things as balanced as possible internally. I find that yogurt bacteria tends to work better than the same bacteria in pill form to fight, er, infections and keep you feeling normal stomach-wise. It’s also a bit cheaper 😅

-I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to not only take the pill, but take it at the same time each morning and night. It prevented me from missing doses and also kept the drug levels more even/regular in my blood stream (I do this for all medications).

-Water: it’s good for you, good for your skin, good for when your taking antibiotics.

*in case you’re curious: during the 30 days of doxycycline, pimples on my body (you know, the occasional back zit or whatever…I’m human ok?) didn’t show up at all. It worked body wide so if backne or the like is a problem for you, this may help! Talk to someone qualified 🙂
Overall, I feel that without the doxycycline my skin would have purged again and it would not have cleared up like it did. Zinc pyrithione helps more with sebum balance than directly attacking acne so I doubt I would have seen such improvement!

I’m glad to finally be getting both my stubborn af acne as well as my crazy dryness under control. Both of these issues are the bane of my skin’s existence, and if I can conquer these things for good, then my battle is basically won 🙂